My book Unholy Hands on God’s Holy Book documents the apostasy of the major Bible Societies, beginning with the British & Foreign Bible Society, which was formed in 1804, and concluding with the United Bible Societies, which was formed in 1946 and today encompasses 142 national Bible Societies.

The book documents the “interconfessional” yoking together with Roman Catholic Church and cults such as Seventh-Day Adventism; the theological liberalism that permeates many of the societies; and the adoption of the critical Greek text and the frightfully unsound theory of dynamic equivalency.

A root problem is a failure to require that every individual involved with the translation and distribution of the Bible have a clear scriptural testimony that he or she is born again. This is foundational, but it is not a standard you will find in the national Bible Societies today.

Following are three examples of this failure:

ROBERT BRATCHER, TRANSLATOR OF THE TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSIONRobert Bratcher held a question and answer session October 13, 1970, at the First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, South Carolina. Following are four of the questions and answers:Question: 'Why did you leave out the blood of Jesus Christ in Romans 5:9 and 14 and other places?'

Answer: 'It is a matter of translation.'

Question: 'Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour?'

Answer: Dr. Bratcher would not answer this question.

Question: 'Is the human heart by nature Man-centered or God-centered?'

On October 15, 1970, Bratcher held a question and answer session at the First Baptist Church, North Augusta, South Carolina. Before anyone could ask a question, the group was advised they could not ask Bratcher questions relating to his theology. Following is one question asked of him:

The Bible says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..." It is VERY strange for a Bible translator to refuse to testify to his salvation. The problem with many Christian leaders today, though, is that they have no salvation of which to testify.

BIBLE SOCIETY LEADER IN CALCUTTAOn a visit to Calcutta in about 1984, I sat before the desk of a leader of the Bible Society of India. His name was Mr. S. Biswas, and we were visiting the offices of the Bible Society. An evangelist friend, Maken Sanglir, was sitting beside me as we talked for several minutes with Mr. Biswas. During the course of our conversation, I briefly described how I was saved at age 23 after having grown up in a Christian home. I then asked Mr. Biswas when he was saved. He sort of chuckled and replied, "No, no. Not like that. In fact, I am a third generation Christian, as my grandfather as well as my own father were Christians." He had no personal testimony of the saving power of Jesus Christ in his own life. "Biswas" in the Hindi language means "faith." How sad that a man with such a name, a man who is a leader in a society that promotes the production and distribution of the Bible, has never been saved! Yet, as many others could testify, this is the sad condition of many Bible Society leaders and workers. They have "churchianity"; they have been baptized and confirmed; but they do not know Christ in His saving power.

BRUCE METZGER, EDITOR OF THE UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES GREEK NEW TESTAMENTBruce Metzger has been an editor of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament since the first edition in 1966. Metzger’s 1997 autobiography, the Reminisces of an Octogenarian, omitted any reference to a personal salvation experience.